Computer Currents

{{Short description|American computer magazine}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox magazine

| title = Computer Currents

| logo = Computer Currents logo (wide, black and white).png

| category = Computer magazine

| circulation = 612,000

| publisher = Computer Currents Publishing Corp

| circulation_year = 1998

| firstdate = {{start date and age|1983}}

| finaldate = {{end date and age|2000}}

| country = United States

| based = California, U.S.

| language = English

| ISSN = 1090-7572

}}

Computer Currents was a freely distributed United States computer magazine, with local editions across the country.{{Cite news|url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/968/684/1947879/|title=Computer Currents Pub. Corp. v. Jaye Communications, Inc., 968 F. Supp. 684 (N.D. Ga. 1997)|work=Justia Law|language=en}} It was often described as a resource for computer shoppers and users, and compared to other regional computer magazines like MicroTimes.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G0s7s3210XEC&pg=PA38|title=Strategic Action Planning Now Setting and Meeting Your Goals|last=Gable|first=Cate|date=1998-12-23|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781574442335|pages=38|language=en}}{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bargainhuntingin00socorich|url-access=registration|title=Bargain Hunting in the Bay Area|last=Socolich|first=Sally|date=2000|publisher=Chronicle Books|isbn=9780811826174|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bargainhuntingin00socorich/page/153 153]|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/colorado-springs-gazette-telegraph-sep-20-1986-p-98/|title=What, Where Remain Basic Consumer Questions|last=Schwabach|first=Bob|date=1986-09-20|work=Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph|access-date=2018-06-17|page=F23|language=en}}{{Cite news|url=https://synapse.library.ucsf.edu/cgi-bin/ucsf?a=d&d=ucsf19930513-01.2.4|title=Should it be Mac or PC? Your own 24-hour computer center|date=May 13, 1993|work=Synapse - The UCSF student newspaper|access-date=June 18, 2018|page=1}}{{Cite newsgroup|url=https://groups.google.com/d/msg/alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt/nr_FPyc22hE/Y7ixubMtWYkJ|title=Microtimes Vs. Computer Currents|author=Tattetales Bob|date=2000-01-22|newsgroup=alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt|message-id= 86bbjm$2o3$1@bgtnsc01.worldnet.att.net|via=Google Groups}}{{Cite newsgroup|url=https://groups.google.com/forum/#!original/comp.os.os2.advocacy/15-ancjEAyc/gksQjmVaaekJ|title=Re: Computer Currents Responds to Warp City BBS|author=William Huber|date=1996-01-19|newsgroup=comp.os.os2.advocacy|message-id=4dotnq$1o5@news2.isp.net|access-date=June 16, 2018|via=Google Groups}}{{Cite newsgroup|url=https://groups.google.com/forum/#!original/alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt/FBQxz0ypVFU/8ryvO4SKuwwJ|title=Re: Please. help a little Italian Boy....|author=Don Briggs|date=2000-01-14|newsgroup=alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt|message-id=387F2686.13B911F9@tiscalinet.it|access-date=June 16, 2018|via=Google Groups}}{{Cite newsgroup|url=https://groups.google.com/forum/#!original/ba.general/zawPRwue_1g/Dkdi9osdQOQJ|title=Re: Donation of old pc - Advice needed|author=|date=1999-03-31|newsgroup=ba.internet|message-id=3702b25f$0$215@nntp1.ba.best.com|via=Google Groups}}{{Cite newsgroup|url=https://groups.google.com/forum/message/raw?msg=la.general/rsVfTPEWI_I/29jLgFG7VL4J|title=Re: are there Free computer magazines in L.A.?|author=Herc Wad|date=1999-01-07|newsgroup=la.general|message-id=19990106220326.22116.00004487@ng60.aol.com|via=Google Groups}}

It was launched in 1983 as Computer Classifieds, and was renamed Computer Currents in 1984. Initially distributed in Northern California, the magazine established a franchise in Atlanta in 1987, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston in 1988, and Chicago in 1993.{{Cite web|url=http://www.amanandamouse.com/writingsamples/compcurr.html|title=Michael Teger: Computer Currents|website=www.amanandamouse.com|access-date=2018-06-08}} By 1987, there were also regional editions for Southern California, Austin, New York, and Boston.{{Cite web|url=http://currents.net/magazine/national/national.html|title=National Edition|date=1996|website=Computer Currents|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961001204014/http://currents.net/magazine/national/national.html|archive-date=1996-10-01|access-date=2018-06-08}}

As of 1988, it was published biweekly in the San Francisco Bay Area, and monthly in Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Texas (Houston, Dallas, Austin), and Atlanta. The magazine's media kit described an audited monthly circulation of approximately 612,000 readers.{{Cite web|url=http://currents.net/magazine/writeguide.html|title=Writers Guidelines|date=1998|website=Computer Currents|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980209174700/http://currents.net/magazine/writeguide.html|archive-date=1998-02-09}}

The magazine was acquired by and merged into Computer User magazine in 2000.{{Cite journal|last=Luhn|first=Robert|date=March 14, 2000|title=C-C-Changes|url=http://currents.net/magazine/national/1805/cros1805.html|journal=Computer Currents|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000419172745/http://currents.net/magazine/national/1805/cros1805.html|archive-date=2000-04-19}}

Computer Currents described itself as:

Computer Currents is the 411/911 magazine. It's a source of help and information for PC and Mac business users of all stripes. Computer Currents doesn't torture-test 200 modems or devote space to industry chitchat. Instead, it focuses on real-world solutions for PC and Mac business users, showing them how to buy products, what products to buy, where to buy them, and how to use them. Computer Currents is fundamentally pro-consumerist, and we'll go undercover to ferret out sloppy service and scams. We're also not afraid to poke fun at the industry. In fact, our Gigglebytes column by Lincoln Spector makes a point of it.

The ISSN for the original Bay Area edition was 1090–7572.{{Cite book|title=Computer Currents|oclc = 35455305}}